By Keith Walsh
One of music’s most valuable qualities is to create an emotional space that makes mindfulness possible. Acoustic sounds have an organic nature that makes it possible to cultivate feelings of serenity in ways electronic ambient music doesn’t.
The Gift, a new album by pianist Alise Ashby and cellist Kristin Miller, showcases their talents for composition and performance with eight minimalist pieces that fill the room with exquisitely gentle tones and timbres.
The Gift is on Heartdance Records. It’s a collection that shares the places of serenity that are inherent in the tranquility of the compositions and performances. Ashby relies on gently rocking acoustic piano chords while Miller’s expressive cello melodies suggest positive emotions without being too sentimental.
The songs on The Gift occasionally veer into minor keys, but it’s always in the service of the theme of transcendence that is dominant on the album. Whereas ambient artists like Roger Eno have presented romantic themes with piano as a foundations, the simplicity of piano and cello allows the singular texture of these acoustic instruments shine without meddling from studio processes that interfere with simplicity. The only sounds on The Gift are pure piano and cello, without unnecessary effects.
The video of the title track for The Gift features stunning videography that accentuates the beauty of the tune. A glance at the works of Miller and Asbhy on Bandcamp.com reveals a cellist with a spiritual bent and a pianist with jazz training. The lovely collaboration of The Gift showcases their talents well as they meet in the ambient music space.
‘The Gift’ On Bandcamp.com
Streams For ‘The Gift’
Heartdance Records
Heartdance Records Linktree
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